


A Quiet Conversation

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Series: The Cahill Project [57]
Category: Castle, Flashpoint (TV), Grimm (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Costume Party, Gen, Halloween, The Cahill Project, The Grimm Truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 13:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18621583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: Dean & Hannah on Halloween





	A Quiet Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place October 31, 2013 after [A Grimm Halloween Treat](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16216496/chapters/37903406)

Dean Winchester loved his family, more than he would probably ever be able to tell them. He would move Heaven and earth to keep them safe and, if they asked him to, he would walk straight into Hell. Not that they would . . . and he could almost hear Marishka Mama’s squawk of protest at the very idea. Beyond that, he also now had a Pack, another family really. Protecting and shielding them from the dangers of his world as well as the world at large had long since become a priority.

But this? Going to a Halloween party – costumes mandatory Halloween party?

“Why the hell am I celebrating Halloween?” he muttered as he followed the others into the Castles’ apartment building. “I hate Halloween.”

A hand curled around his elbow and he glanced down. The smile came to his face without any further prompting as he found himself looking down into the dark eyes that had been haunting his dreams for months now. Humor and understanding sparkled in those eyes as a teasing smile played around her mouth. One corner of his twitched. “Let me guess, I’m being too negative?” he asked.

“Probably just a smidge?” Hannah chuckled. “Maybe you could try to forget its Halloween for a bit? Just concentrate on the party. We’re all dressed up for a reason, you know.” She did a quick scan of his outfit. “Even if you’re just taking the easy route by being a ‘nudist on strike’.”

“I hate Halloween.”

“Most hunters do.” Her free hand came up to pat his arm and then rested there. “ _Belo’s_ not happy about the whole idea; neither is _Tía_ Gretel.” She nodded towards the front of the group. “Sam’s going along because Inari’s having a good time, and its Pack tradition now.” Her grin widened. “Doesn’t mean he’s a happy camper.”

“What about you?” Lifting an eyebrow, he slowed his steps so they put a little space between themselves and the rest of the group. “You’re as much a hunter as any of us.”

“I can be,” she corrected. “Hunting is something I do out of necessity, not because it’s really my calling.”

“Point stands.”

Hannah rolled her eyes at his insistence. “I can be,” she repeated, “but first and foremost, I’m more of a . . . I hate to say police officer, because that’s not quite right. Grimms . . .” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. “Guardians,” she corrected, “are part of the natural world, just like Wesen.”

‘And yet…” Dean grinned down at her. “Are you being stubborn about this for a reason?”

“Do I need a reason to be stubborn?”

“Pretty sure that’s the Grimm in you,” he shot back, making her laugh. “But I get you. Still doesn’t tell me your opinion on Halloween.”

“I enjoy the festivities,” she explained after she brought her amusement under control. “The parties and activities and watching all of the little kids play. They’re adorable . . .” She bit her lip. “I hate missing the trick-or-treating with Benji, but Dad and Tasha promised pictures, and I wanted to be here with you . . . all of you . . . for this.”

Did he imagine the slight emphasis on the first ‘you’? He didn’t think so, but he couldn’t be quite sure.

“But I don’t like when people or creatures use the season to further some personal vendetta or power grab or whatever,” she continued, wrinkling her nose. “I especially hate it when people who have no idea what they’re doing start playing around with forces they don’t understand.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Bad enough when the evil guys do it . . . it’s a pain in the ass when the clueless get involved – chaotic as hell.”

“Language!”

“We’re here!” Alexis called back as she reached for the door. “Everyone ready for a good time?”

The party seemed to be in full swing as the Pack entered the Castle apartment. Out of habit, Dean did a full scan of the place, taking in the location as well as the crowd of people laughing and talking as they enjoyed their host’s hospitality. Clearly Richard Castle did well as a writer – the huge two story space had to cost him a damn fortune. Not that Dean could talk – he didn’t have a clue as to his own family’s worth . . . and probably didn’t want to know. Over the years, he learned to accept it, even if he tried to remain stubborn about paying for his own stuff. Any time he’d tried to protest them spending money on him, Will and Marina managed to talk him into it. 

Well, to be truthful, Will told him to argue with his mother and who the hell – other than Will himself – could manage to have an argument with Marishka Mama?

“Busy, busy,” Hannah murmured. 

Looking over, he caught her doing her own scan. The smile remained steady on her face, but beneath it he could see the calculation. “Only one exit,” he murmured. “Unless you count the windows. Fire escape must be in another room.”

“We’ll find it.” Now she turned her smile up to him, a hint of teasing starting to glint there. “Might mean a little more mingling than you’d like.”

“Hey, I can mingle,” he protested, her words pulling a laugh from him. “You just do it better.”

She started to reply, then her eyes narrowed as she glanced away. “Uh oh.” Following her line of sight, he watched as Rick Castle frowned and stalked towards Spike and Alexis. Their Pack mates – still a weird idea to him – didn’t look happy about the approaching confrontation. “Looks like we might need to go diffuse a situation before we mingle and explore,” she decided.

“Good idea.” Already in motion, he led her on an intercept course, managing to put themselves between Castle and his quarry. Good manners – or total surprise – brought the older man to a stop as he rocked back on his heels at their sudden appearance. “Hey, man, nice party.”

“Ah, thanks,” Castle managed, blinking as he refocused. “I don’t believe in dull ones.”

“We’d heard so much about it,” Hannah smiled. “Dacia and Inari had a blast last year, and I know Dacia, at least, seemed excited about seeing some of the folks from work in a more relaxed atmosphere.”

“Isn’t she in school?” he asked.

“Yes, but she’s got an internment with the crime lab.” Hannah offered a shrug and a disingenuous smile. “I have to admit, when she gets started on some of the scientific stuff she’s learning, I’m completely lost. It’s not really my cup of tea.” 

Dean bit back a laugh. She wouldn’t be impressed, he knew, if he ruined her ploy but chuckling at the idea of her playing dumb.

“Crime lab?” Castle’s attention swung around the room, searching. His eyes lit up with interest as they landed on the blonde teenager standing near one of the large windows with her boyfriend. “I wonder if I can pick her brain for a new character I’m working on?”

“Trust me,” she laughed. “Dacia **loves** to talk about her work.”

“Excuse me.” 

As the older man hurried away, Hannah looked up at Dean with a smug little smirk. “Done and done,” she announced. “I am good.”

“You are that,” he agreed, meaning more than the situation. A light flush darkened her cheeks as his eyes did a quick scan over her before coming back up to meet hers. “An excellent distraction.”

Their fellow Pack members joined them before she could reply. Gratitude shown in both their faces, mingling with relief in Spike’s eyes. Alexis looked more exasperated as she glanced after her father. “Thank you.” She gave a small huff of annoyance. “I love my dad, but sometimes . . .” Her voice trailed off and she shook her head.

“I get it,” Spike added, dodging his girlfriend’s elbow, “but I’m glad to avoid the confrontation.”

“He’s a dad,” Hannah soothed, reaching out one hand to touch Alexis’ shoulder. “He’s going to worry – that’s what they do.”

“And he doesn’t know Spike yet.” Dean shrugged when they looked at him. “All he can see is his little girl in pigtails or curls or whatever you did at five with this full-grown man who carries a badge and gun. He goes into hyper protective mode.”

The redhead grimaced. “Well, he needs to get over it.”

“Good luck?” Hannah chuckled. “I’m pretty sure my dad’s going to be just as bad, and he just met me four months ago.”

“I met your dad four years ago and I guarantee you - he's going to be worse.”

Yeah, Brian’s reaction to his daughter dating? Not really something Dean wanted to think about . . . not considering his own thoughts and fantasies about the woman at his side. If Brian even got a hint about the directions of some of his thoughts, it’d be easier to dig his own grave. 

“Time doesn’t make Brian any less your dad,” Spike nodded. “No offense, gorgeous, but I’m glad I’m not having to worry about that one.”

Again . . . really not what Dean wanted to have in his brain.

“Really though,” the older man added, “thanks for the save.”

“Anytime,” Hannah assured him. “That’s what we’re here for.” She waved them off. “Now, you two go mingle – and stick close to the Pack or the cops in the room. “ Winking at Alexis, she continued, “Your dad won’t risk being too bad in front of the Pack because he’d get a call from Aunt Marina.” Her smile turned mischievous. “And he won’t let the cops see him being all the over-protective, ‘nobody’s dating my little girl’ daddy in case it ruins his rep at the station.”

With a laugh, the other pair wandered off and Hannah glanced at the refreshments. “Drink?”

“Sounds good.” He led her towards it. As they got their punch, he gave her a curious look. “’What we’re here for’?” he asked, repeating her earlier words.

“To protect our Pack.” She took a sip of her drink, letting him lead her around the room. “Since we’re pretty much the Betas for the group, it’s kind of a big part of our job.” Her eyes scanned even as she smiled at the people they passed. 

Dean frowned. “What now?” he asked, drawing her to a stop beside a small table. 

“We’re the Betas,” she repeated as she took a seat. “The second-in-command really.”

“How’d that happen?” His own seat gave him a full view of the room and the people in it. It might have been an accident, but he’d been learning how her mind worked since the night he watched her take down that Spinnetod. She’d left the seat open for him, just like she would have done for any of her more watchful family members. “What about Sammy . . . and Inari?”

“Still part of the Fearsome Foursome.” Her lips twitched as she used the nickname for the four originals. “But Samonik’s best gifts are in research and finding the oddest bits of information. He’s a hunter, born and bred, but he’s always going to find it hard to make that final judgement call.”

“Okay.” Dean drew out the word, nodding as he considered it. “And fox-girl’s not an enforcer.”

“Exactly.” Hannah leaned back in her chair, mahogany eyes serious over the rim of her cup as she took another drink. “Both of them could and would do the job if they had to, but neither of them are . . . I don’t want to say easy,” she huffed, frowning down at her drink. “Because it should never be easy, but they’re just not comfortable being judge, jury, and executioner.” Now she locked eyes with him. “We might not always like our job, but we’ll do it. And we’ll walk away from it, leaving whatever decision we made in the past without letting it come back to haunt us.”

There. 

Right there, she managed to encapsulate a part of how they matched – hunter and huntress. For all her sweetness, her softness . . . for all that gentle nature her family wanted to protect, at the end of the day, Hannah would do whatever she had to do in order to project her family . . . and she wouldn’t regret making the decision. In her own way, she could be just as ruthless and cold as any of them if the situation called for it. More subtle than most of the family, that was for damn sure, but that core of tempered steel couldn’t be denied. 

“And we’re being way too serious,” she announced with a little shake of her head. “This is supposed to be a party – and everyone’s going to be converging on us to find out what the disaster is if we keep sitting here frowning.”

He laughed, putting his drink on the table and rising to his feet. “Come on then, princess,” he chuckled. “Let’s go mingle.”


End file.
